Gobles softball coach Megan Ivester, shown celebrating with her team after the Tigers won the regional title last year, is having a lot of fun coaching again this spring. (Paul Morgan | Special to MLive.com file)

GOBLES, MI – Gobles softball coach Megan Ivester did not know what to expect from such a green group this season.

Last year's Tigers squad, which advanced to the Division 4 state quarterfinals, graduated seven players. This year's team features one senior, two juniors, two sophomores and nine freshmen.

Through 16 games, Ivester has a lot more answers than questions.

Gobles is off to a 14-2 start – 8-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference North Division – and has climbed into the No. 10 spot in the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association Division 4 poll.

"I think what's making it work is these girls have great softball experience," Ivester said. "They love the game and they want to play and I felt like when we played against Hartford (sweep of defending SAC champ on Monday) things really started clicking. Against Hartford we really started playing like a team and I'm excited to see where this thing is going to go.

"Just being so young, I was worried that it would be a rough year."

Gobles finished second and third in Otsego and Gull Lake invitationals, respectively. The Tigers' two losses were against Coloma (now ranked No. 9 in Division 2) and Decatur (No. 8 in D-4).

Sophomore Sharyena Hunt is Gobles' pitching ace. She has a 10-1 record, and shares time in the pitching circle with the team's lone senior, Emily Boyer. Hunt is batting .600 with three home runs and 26 RBIs.

"I'm telling you what, we've never had an offensive team like this before," Ivester said. "I'll bet we've struck out less than 20 times this year as a team."

Gobles hosts Watervliet in a SAC nondivisional doubleheader Thursday, starting at 4:30 p.m. The Tigers close out SAC North play Monday against Saugatuck, and it looks like a Gobles/Hartford matchup in next Thursday's SAC title game is going to happen.

The Gobles baseball squad is the MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette Team of the Week this week. Those guys are ranked No. 2 in the Division 4 baseball poll, but it looks like they have competition in their own school.

"We race them every Wednesday and our girls kick their butts. Ask the boys, 'Hey, I hear you have to rake the softball field every week,'" Ivester said with a laugh.

"Honestly, they are a great group of girls. They are a great group to be around, and that's what makes coaching so much fun."

Here is this week's batch of local rankings for the Kalamazoo-area spring sports season. If I'm missing a team in one of the following sports that you think belongs, let me know at sdecamp1@mlive.com:

(Note: Rankings compiled prior to Wednesday's events and do not reflect those results.)